Third chance the charm for machinist

After not one, but two final chances, a machine operator suffering from alcoholism at a bus manufacturer in Manitoba was given a third and final chance by an arbitrator.

Martin Friesen — a machine operator with New Flyer Industries in Winnipeg — was fired after breaching the terms of a second last chance agreement, which pertained to his absenteeism and alcoholism.

For a number of years, Friesen had attendance issues, leading to his termination in 2012. After he was fired, he attended a four-week rehabilitation program, the third he had attended since 2003. Following a stamp of approval from his rehab clinic, he was reinstated under a last chance agreement.